Winchester students showcase projects at Acera School IMP-posium

Friday

Projects included a wheelchair made from recycled materials that converts to a baby carriage, a gumball machine that can sense the color of the candy it dispenses and a hydroponic system for gardening.

Acera, a nonprofit K-8 STEAM school based in Winchester, features IMP projects as part of its annual middle school curriculum. Every week, middle school students have blocks of unstructured time during which specialist mentors are available to advise on independent projects.

Students can propose any project they are passionate about, such as researching and writing a literature review, putting on a theater production, organizing a service project or a concert, building in wood shop and innovation lab, conducting a lab experiment, developing a virtual reality app or creating a piece of electronic art.

“The idea came to me when I was looking at different ways to make something affordable and easily accessible to help someone who doesn’t have much money,” said Parmis Mokhatari-Dizaji of her idea to build a wheelchair-turned-stroller. “Health is one of the areas in which the gap between the haves and have-nots is significant. Fusing both a wheelchair and baby carriage makes this a product for a lifetime, while still being recyclable.”

“The IMP process is a way to unleash the initiative and creativity inherent in all children, and harness middle school students’ desire for independence while supporting them in learning what it takes to reach a goal,” said Courtney Dickinson, founder and director of Acera. “It’s not about perfection; it’s students exploring ideas, making mistakes and learning from them.”